Selling Wine vs. Taking An Order

You sell wine when you guide the process, when you frame choices for the customer, and when you present options (paths) that lead to the company’s (and your) ultimate goals.

You are an order taker when the customer is the guide, when the customer frames the choices, and when the customer presents the paths that lead to their own ultimte goals.

But here’s the thing: someone who sells successfully can become a trainer, a mentor, and an educator for the customer, which then leads the customer to know more of what they want. In that instance, being an order taker is not a bad thing because you’re the one who built their confidence and curiosity. And also in that instance, the customer is ready to be ‘sold’ more stuff (i.e. educated about more wine) because it helps them grow personally.

Knowing which mode you’re in, with each customer at any given moment, is the key.